SSSS.GRIDMAN Production Notes 9

SSSS.GRIDMAN casually dropped one of the most memorable episodes of the year, a tour de force of evocative layouts and energetic animation that managed to make a hateful villain into a sympathetic person as if it were easy. Let’s explore this show’s greatest episode, the team behind them, and the industry movement it represents.

We wrapped up the coverage of the previous episode by noting that SSSS.GRIDMAN #9 was going to be a jaw-dropping experience, so you can’t say you weren’t warned. Even if you knew that, however, it had something in store that you likely weren’t prepared for: suddenly making the gleeful psychopath Akane into a sympathetic character, without dropping any game-changing reveals. The show is as of now maintaining an almost impossible balance regarding her character; I’d say it’s a miracle that it works at all, were it not for how deliberate it feels. Her whimsical attitude towards death and other people’s memories, as well as the weight of her wrongdoings, aren’t being swept under the rug – on the contrary, it’s the sight of Tonkawa’s family business and her gravestone that awaken Yuta from his dream. Unlike the original live-action series, where Takeshi’s cartoony villainous acts and the tone of the show allowed a quick redemption, SSSS.GRIDMAN‘s chosen a trickier path and keeps making a point out of Akane’s misdeeds.

Yet at the same time, the crushing loneliness that the series had hinted she might be feeling becomes an asphyxiating force anytime Akane’s on-screen this time. Being rejected by people programmed to love you is disheartening in and of itself, but it’s the oppressivelayouts that capture the agony that have made her so weirdly compelling. As the audience, we’re left perfectly aware of her heinous actions… and yet it’s hard not to feel for her, simply because of the masterful way in which her suffering is conveyed. An outstanding episode, but also a bit of a scary reminder of how big of a role framing devices play in our emotional reaction to events. I can’t say I regret becoming emotionally invested in parka-wearing immoral deity though, if what we get in exchange are episodes this strong.

Chances are that if you’re reading a site like ours, you at least have a bit of a clue where this episode’s destructive power comes from. Animation director and debutant – yes, this was his first time – storyboarder Kai Ikarashi is an artist we often bring up after all. Ever since he started attracting attention as a perfect complement to Hiroyuki Imaishi’s hectic work in SEX and VIOLENCE with MACHSPEED, his standing both within TRIGGER and among fans has done nothing but rise. Unsurprisingly so I’d add, since he’s got the draftsmanship and eye-catching style required to quickly turn heads. It was the surreal work of Yasunori Miyazawa and especially Masaaki Yuasa – first with his Buriburi Zaemon Shin-chan special and later with Kemonozume – that pushed him towards animation in the first place, but once he joined this field, he trended very heavily towards the Kanada Style; Ikarashi’s angular drawings, his characters with exaggerated limbs that jump from pose to pose in energetic fashion, make him feel like Imaishi’s most direct heir since Akira Amemiya. Very appropriate then for Ikarashi to level up further on Amemiya’s first major project.

And level up he did. Ikarashi’d already had a major hand in some TV anime episodes, co-supervising a few of them and contributing his kineticism to climacticscenesandsakugaparties. However, I’d argue that it wasn’t until SSSS.GRIDMAN #9 that we started seeing his true potential and why his peers have placed such high expectations on him. This show had already proved to be a great canvas for creators capable of channeling nostalgic, mecha-flavored vibes like Ikarashi does. And this episode in particular happened to be a key moment for the antagonist that everything revolves around. Though fans tend to associate him with frantic action because of his link to Imaishi, this might very well have been the perfect opportunity for Ikarashi to debut as storyboarder and sole animation director and leave this strong of an impression; incidentally, Masaru Sakamoto’s credit as supervisor is a bit of a misnomer – it’s been confirmed that his position is more akin to chief animation direction for the in-house episodes. The reason why pretty much the entirety of this episode feels congruent with Ikarashi’s sensibilities is that he was in charge of it all.

Viewers who didn’t get the memo about the special episode will take no time at all to realize that something’s off. The very first shot features the ominous grade crossing signals that Ikarashi sprinkled throughout the episode to warn us of the upcoming danger; it sets the tone immediately and also manages to encapsulate both his own style – the sketchy pencil work to give texture to the metal – and SSSS.GRIDMAN‘s own identity, putting the full cel precept at the forefront. After an unsettlingly realistic background character introduces us to the kaiju du jour, we quickly get to see Akane’s scheme: trapping the main characters in a dream worldbased off their memories, attempting to make their fantasy interactions better than reality and thus making the bonds she yearns for eternal. At this point we all know where this is heading, as Yusuke Kawakami‘s animation kicks off one of the many neat ideas in the storyboard. His digital effects and three-dimensional environments are deployed for the first of many instances of Gridman peeking into this dream world. Not just for Yuta, he’s become an inescapable presence for the whole team that represents their sense of duty.

The illusion proceeds with the other main characters, trapped in dreams that represent the different bonds that Akane desires. We’ve seen Yuta as her lover, followed up by Utsumi as her ideal friend sharing the same interests, and Rikka as the person to be most intimate with. Perhaps in an act of desperation, she actually tries to literally seduce them all; it’s not as obvious as with her boyfriend and the acquaintance she sensually invites home, but Rikka’s fantasy is introduced with an LGBT counseling poster that’s also present in the infirmary as they grow comfortable with each other. Incidentally, the intimacy between the two appears to have been portrayed by ちな. His appearance is no surprise, if nothing else to repay the favor to Ikarashi after he’d appeared (under a pseudonym) to assist on his astonishing Yama no Susume S3 #10, but it’s still amusing to see how he refuses to let go of his Naoko Yamada adoration even within an episode very much unlike her work.

We’d previously mentioned that after the reveal regarding Akane’s position as the goddess of this world, SSSS.GRIDMAN often feels as if she were the one directing the show. And never is that more obvious than in this episode, where she is in control of the reality projected into the minds of the main characters. The bright, cheerful colors during her date with Yuta are entirely unlike the atmosphere of the show as a whole, as if her own feelings leaked into the palette; in that regard, and when it comes to the execution of Ikarashi’s ideas in general, we’ve got to thank episode director Yoshiyuki Kaneko for making sure the episode ended up living to its extraordinary potential. Unfortunately for Akane, her own plans didn’t work out quite as well as the staff’s, and the dream world begins falling apart in spite of her desperate attempts to please the main trio. The separation between those who want to return to the real world and the one who wishes to remain in a dream is clear.

The episode wraps up with Akane emotionally and literally on the edge. Ken Yamamoto – whom you perhaps know for his escapades as Yoh Yamamoto – captures her pain in one of the most striking scenes in the episode, perhaps the most affecting one in the entire show. Akane’s godly powers might allow her to leap off a tower crane just fine, but after the blow she’s taken there’s no way she can land gracefully. Yamamoto’s animation, never afraid to slow down its drawing count to 3s and 4s, makes that emotional crash all the more impactful. We’re headed towards a final arc where the main characters will likely attempt to save Akane. That might have sounded preposterous a few weeks ago. And honestly, it might still be. But after feeling her pain so viscerally, I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same.

Digesting such a densely packed episode takes some work, but I couldn’t end my commentary without briefly mentioning the overall movement that SSSS.GRIDMAN #9 is a part of. Though Boruto #65, Violet Evergarden‘s peaks, and a certain something airing in December are candidates to the most impressive production effort of the year, there’s a clear trend among the most accomplished episodes of TV anime in 2018. Though Hugtto Precure #16 was only the second episode that Koudai Watanabe ever storyboarded, he commanded Toei’s youth and his own friends as they put together a one of a kind experience. Yama no Susume s3 #10 was the third episode that ちな was in charge of, yet he guided his young pals into making arguably the strongest TV offering of the year. And now you’ve seen what’s happened on Ikarashi’s debut. Three up-and-coming figures in similar situations skyrocketing at the same time, fueled by shared staff – not to the same degree for Precure since Toei’s a beast of its own, though the likes of Keisuke “soty” Mori can boast of having shown up on all of these episodes.

So, what does that mean? Fate/Apocrypha #22 was a sign that change was approaching, and these episodes confirm that it’s already happened. The anime industry as a whole is shifting. Globalization of consumption and production, plus the advances in tech with tangible effects, are causing all sorts of changes. However, I feel like what we’re seeing here is something more simple at its core: a generational change. New figures are emerging all over the place, and the quickest ones to adapt to the climate are putting together episodes that manage to overshadow the creators who inspired them in the first place. Harsh as I’ve got to be with this industry, in this regard it’s a very exciting time to follow anime.

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So, one thing I’m still curious about is how it happened that the three episodes from this year we’re talking about aren’t just especially unique for being so powerful under the guidance of young stars supported by a similar group of animators, but that all three of them also share such similar directorial sensibilities. Because, for me, putting aside everything else, the other thing thing these episodes together is an emphasis on atmosphere and mood. Obviously, we know where China gets it from, but what about the others? Is it coincidence? Is there a common influence they’re all drawing from?… Read more »

I think it’s a mix of all those points (including your bias and also mine). The starting points are different – for china it’s Yamada, for Ikarashi it’s Imaishi&Yuasa, and for Watanabe it’s Hayashi… and in a way Rie Matsumoto’s Toei legacy as well. They could take very different paths after that, but I’m not very surprised that they keep intertwining, since they’re pals who collaborate and talk to each other often. Of course they’d influence each other to a degree! I’d actually expect some more animators with an exceptional understanding of the craft from that crew bursting in the… Read more »

I agree with almost everything except the making Akane sympathetic part. I don’t think that’s been accomplished in any way, shape or for but oddly enough I find myself not caring all that much. I’ve been bracing for a labored Akane redemption arc but it doesn’t seem to me as if the series is really going to even try and sell that angle – it’s just going where it goes. Sure I’d rather see an ending where she’s held accountable for her sociopathic behavior rather than painted as a victim, but the ride has been so enjoyable that whatever happens… Read more »

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2 months ago

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Charou

Agreed 100%. I REALLY wanted to like this episode for its awesome aesthetics but it didn’t push the story forward at all. A shame so much effort went into a ‘but it was all just a dream’ cliche episode. Fate/Apoc 22’s animation shift might have divided the audience right down the middle but no one could argue the episode itself didn’t drive the story forward a lot. What did we get from this? We learned nothing new about anyone, and their dream experiences didn’t really change them as characters. Were this a novel, this ‘chapter’ wouldn’t have made it past… Read more »

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2 months ago

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Justo

Think what you may, but I struggle to see how you cannot empathyze in the least with Akane, Enzo. Much like I don’t get angry at a baby for crying, I can see why a teenager would commit extremely selfish acts to feel more loved. If you are a 15 yo and are given god powers, it’s not a surprise you’d turn out into an emotional wreck in this day and age.

What can I say, there are a lot of lonely and rejected teens out there that don’t become mass murderers. The wild card here, of course, is that the exact nature of this world is still undefined enough that we don’t know how “real” these victims are – but I think the overwhelming body of evidence suggests that these people Akane killed, NPCs or not, had self-awareness. And that makes her a murderer.

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2 months ago

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Hawkboy

Really can’t understand why this comment was downvoted. People are ridiculously quick to forgive a girl who murdered someone over a sandwich. If you want to forgive Akane that’s fine, the show is laying the groundwork, but not wanting to forgive a sociopath completely makes sense too.

I think she’s a good character, but I don’t really like people forgiving her just because she’s a cute anime girl.

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2 months ago

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Justo

I think I’ll be remembering that reveal with the Tonkawa grave for so long. The music, the slow camera movement over Yuuta’s head, the increasing volume and hard cut, the impact of feels, it was so so so good. Beautiful last message on the industry kevin. It feels like watching a fictional comfy novela fold out, with all these animators and disciples growing out of the nest and becoming this good. One of the first names I learned of this industry were Imaishi and Yoshinari, who themselves were disciples of Kanada I believe, and now they have their own disciples… Read more »

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2 months ago

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Lawrenceii

I would love to hear you talk about the top notch 3d animation in the show.

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2 months ago

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AniHunter

He has brought that up in some of the other episode reviews before this. It’s not in extensive detail considering these episodes usually have a decent amount to go over, and the last few until episode 8 covered multiple episodes.

There are some aspects I’m not sold on (the debris and photorealistic smoke really put me off for one), but otherwise it quickly went from something I expected to disappoint me to one of the stronger points of the entire production. They got across the person-in-suit-ness (this is a word now) of the wackier early kaiju so well that it perfectly clicked for me before they confirmed that it was indeed their intention, and the more complex pieces of action nail the satisfying anime-like timing better than most of this industry’s CG efforts.

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2 months ago

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Super

After the poster, I begin to wonder more and more about why this is all done. They have already done more yuri symbolism than in many real or pseudo lesbian anime, but at the moment there was almost no romance in the show except the “formal” Yuta x Rikka. In the end, I won’t be surprised if the whole story of their “world” turns out to be Akane’s attempt to come to terms with her sexuality. “but it’s still amusing to see how he refuses to let go of his Naoko Yamada adoration even within an episode very much unlike… Read more »

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2 months ago

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shiba

i’ve been joking with friends for quite a long time that akane is basically the vriska of this show, and i’m laughing a little over how accurate that assessment turned out to be… female characters whose behavior is this ugly are ALWAYS very polarizing, but even though they’re going to pay with it in endless Disk Horse i think the staff has been doing a good job of giving her depth as an alienated child on a power trip, especially since layouts have been drawing attention to her malaise pretty much since day one. her motivations are very sympathetic–i think… Read more »

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2 months ago

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Safhier

While the content itself is good and interesting, i have to say i’m not really a fan of this kind of animation… it’s not really a problem if the series is using this kind of animation style from the start but when being presented out of the blue like this it’s became kind off hard for me personally to get in term with it. it’s been a while since Apocrypha 22 Aired and even now i’m still not yet in term with it, to accept it as a part of the series. (tho i have no problem with what Boruto… Read more »